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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Breast Cancer / March 2007Tamoxifen
Recently published long term follow-up studies on high-risk ER+ breast cancer patients who have taken Tamoxifen for five years have shown that the risk reduction persists even after the drug has been stopped, for at least another five years. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/552584?src=mp (medscape needs free registration to view articles) This will be of interest to those who feel vulnerable when coming to the end of the Tamoxifen treatment. You can now view it that the drug has built up a shield in your body and truly cured your elevated cancer risk, rather than feeling that you have worn the drug out and become resistant to it. Tim Jackson >This will be of interest to those who feel > vulnerable when coming to the end of the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > risk, rather than feeling that you have worn > the drug out and become resistant to it. >Tim Jackson Unfortunately, my little Webby will not let me access that Medscape site to read the article. But if they are stating this for Tamoxifen, I guess it goes for those of us taking Arimidex too. If so, this alarms me instead of making me feel more positive about the future. It is because I never read anything before about the drugs building up a "shield" in our bodies and curing our cancer risk. I thought they were made to turn off the estrogen production which helps to produce the type of cancer ER+ patients get and this is what protects us. Without continuing to take the drug, it seems to me, patients would continue to produce estrogen and endanger themselves again. This is why I thought my Oncologist has told me he will continue to keep me on Arimidex continually until they find it can be dangerous to do so. Frankly, I think they need to come up with solid proof of this new theory before they can possibly endanger ER+ patients by telling them what they have taken has built a "shield" to protect them from a recurring bout of bc and they can discontinue another 5 years or so of the drug.. Just because "certain" lucky women did not get a return of bc after stopping Tamoxifen does not convince me we all would be that lucky. My hope is still on being able to continue Arimidex as long as my body is able to produce "any" estrogen. I would not feel safe trusting this latest "theory". Thanks so much for sharing, Tim. I will try to see if I can find someway to access the article and learn more about what is going on. Bea 'NO FORWARDS OR SPAM, PLEASE" >> This will be of interest to those who feel >> vulnerable when coming to the end of the [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > to read the article. But if they are stating this for Tamoxifen, I guess > it goes for those of us taking Arimidex too. No that is not the case. The study was specifically of Tamoxifen, not any alternative drugs. I must emphasise that Arimidex is not the same class of drug and does not work the same way. > If so, this alarms me instead of making me feel more positive about the > future. It is because I never read anything before about the drugs [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I thought my Oncologist has told me he will continue to keep me on > Arimidex continually until they find it can be dangerous to do so. Indeed that is how Arimidex and other aromatase inhibitors work. But it is not how Tamoxifen works. Tamoxifen acts as an 'alternative' to estrogen, competing with it for the receptor sites. At present no-one is saying that the same applies to aromatase inhibitors, they haven't really been in common use long enough for this sort of follow-up trial to be done. That also applies to new alternatives of the Tamoxifen class such as Evista. > Frankly, I think they need to come up with solid proof of this new > theory before they can possibly endanger ER+ patients by telling them [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > bc after stopping Tamoxifen does not convince me we all would be that > lucky. As far a I know no-one has proposed any theory for how this happens. This is not a theoretical article, it is the statistical results of two studies of 7145 and 2494 women respectively. No-one is talking about endangering patients or indeed about making any change in treatment. It is already normal practice to discontinue Tamoxifen after five years as it is well known that continuing it does not offer benefit. > My hope is still on being able to continue Arimidex as long as my body > is able to produce "any" estrogen. I would not feel safe trusting this > latest "theory". > > Thanks so much for sharing, Tim. I will try to see if I can find > someway to access the article and learn more about what is going on. I can email this article and a preceding one that gives more data, to you if you like. Medscape has an "email to colleague" facility. Tim >I can email this article and a preceding one > that gives more data, to you if you like. > Medscape has an "email to colleague" facility. >Tim Thank you for the additional info and the offer Tim. However, I will not need you to email the article if Tamoxifen does not work the same way as Arimidex. I misunderstood and thought they worked the same way. Must be the reason my Onc switched me from Tamoxifen to Arimidex. He said Tamoxifen was not the right one for me to be using. Bea 'NO FORWARDS OR SPAM, PLEASE" There seem to many possible reasons why tamoxifen has a positive effect even after people stop taking it: a) Perhaps the immune system was able to clear up remaining cancer cells while tamoxifen held them dormant b) Tumors take a while to grow to the point of detection, so even if the tamoxifen has no real effect after five years (i.e. cancer cells can begin to grow after tamoxifen is stopped), you'd still see some "lingering" benefit as it can take several years for a tumor to "show up". Whether aromatase inhibitors (e.g, Arimidex) also give a benefit after they are stopped has not, to my knowledge, been studied yet. I don't think reseachers have established yet how long they should be taken, whereas we know that tamoxifen probably should be stopped after 5 years. The aromatase inhibitors are relatively new so it will take some time to fully assess their long-term benefits, although several new studies are suggesting that this class of drugs is even better than tamoxifen (which itself is highly effective). Of course, the benefits of aromatase inhibitors are available only to post-menopausal women (and I guess to all men), or to those who become post-menopausal during treatment (this is why doctors often will start peri-menopausal women on tamoxifen and then switch after 2 or 3 years to an aromatase inhibitor--at this point they can be almost certain that the menopause is "real" and not a temporary effect from ovary damage from chemo). > >I can email this article and a preceding one > > that gives more data, to you if you like. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > 'NO FORWARDS OR SPAM, PLEASE" > >I can email this article and a preceding one > > that gives more data, to you if you like. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > 'NO FORWARDS OR SPAM, PLEASE" Hi , this has been on my mind for sometime now, and I wanted to ask you all a few questions. I have read an article at " http://www.medical-health-care-information.com/encyclopedia/t/Tamoxifen.asp" which says 'Tamoxifen is the most commonly prescribed medication for the treatment of breast cancer. Estrogen promotes the growth of breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen blocks the effects of estrogen on these cells. It is often called an antiestrogen. Tamoxifen is most effective for treating breast cancer that tests positive for estrogen receptors (ER+). Tamoxifen is also used to reduce the risk of breast cancer for women who have a high risk of developing breast cancer.'. While it must be true, I wonder what you have to say about it. Do let me know! Regards, sherry bove > >This will be of interest to those who feel > > vulnerable when coming to the end of the [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > > 'NO FORWARDS OR SPAM, PLEASE" Hi , this has been on my mind for sometime now, and I wanted to ask you all a few questions. I have read an article at " http://www.medical-health-care-information.com/encyclopedia/t/Tamoxifen.asp" which says 'Tamoxifen is the most commonly prescribed medication for the treatment of breast cancer. Estrogen promotes the growth of breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen blocks the effects of estrogen on these cells. It is often called an antiestrogen. Tamoxifen is most effective for treating breast cancer that tests positive for estrogen receptors (ER+). Tamoxifen is also used to reduce the risk of breast cancer for women who have a high risk of developing breast cancer.'. While it must be true, I wonder what you have to say about it. Do let me know! Regards, sherry bove <snip "Sherry's" quasi-form letter with pointless quote from prominently linked wannabe medical web site followed by equally pointless non-question> Promo-bot or liveware shill, ya think? If liveware: Oooooo -- very lame. Too much free time! We now return to our previous productive Tamoxifen thread, as contributed to by our own Tim, Bea, et al. . . . . Ann T. Remove "dontsendspam" from address to reply by email > <snip "Sherry's" quasi-form letter with pointless quote from prominently > linked wannabe medical web site followed by equally pointless non-question> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Ann T. > Remove "dontsendspam" from address to reply by email It's a well known promo. Not been known to react to replies. Same as "mayihelpyou", but at least this one is on topic, so it's hard to find grounds for a complaint. Tim > Recently published long term follow-up studies on high-risk ER+ breast > cancer patients who have taken Tamoxifen for five years have shown that > the risk reduction persists even after the drug has been stopped, for at > least another five years. That's what I was told at the beginning of my treatment - in 1998! Mary |
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